A national agreement
The NHRA is an agreement between the Australian Government and all state and territory governments which outlines the future directions and funding of Australia’s public hospital and health system.
Under this agreement the Australian Government provides funding to the states and territories for public hospital and health services, including services in community health settings.
Governments review the NHRA and make changes through an addendum to set the future focus. This usually occurs every 5 years.
The latest addendum, the 2026–2031 NHRA Addendum, was signed by the Australian Government and state and territory governments on 27 February 2026 and will take effect on 1 July 2026.
While the NHRA sets our national priorities and funding, the states and territories as system managers are responsible for:
- determining the mix of the services and functions delivered in their jurisdiction and by individual hospitals and health services
- system-wide public hospital service planning and performance.
Why it is important
We want to make important changes to the health system so that health services are safer, better quality, and easier for people to access.
The reforms will look at the whole health system and make it work more smoothly and sustainably, so patients get better care and outcomes.
With this addendum, we aim to make sure Australians can get the health services they need, when they need them, and help reduce the strain on public hospitals across the country.
Objectives
The 2026–2031 addendum sets 3 main objectives that all Australian governments will focus on over the next 5 years. These objectives are designed to make sure everyone gets safe, high quality health care, in the right place, when they need it.
These objectives also encourage all governments to work together to improve Australia’s health system. They support other changes happening in Medicare, aged care, and disability services.
Objective 1 – Better health outcomes and experiences for all Australians and better value for patients.
Objective 2 – Stronger shared stewardship of the whole health system.
Objective 3 – A simpler, more equitable public hospital and health services funding model.
Meeting our objectives
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is creating a new framework to check how well the health system is working. The new framework will show clear, easy‑to‑understand information about how different health services work together, such as:
- hospitals
- GPs
- aged care services
- and disability care services, work together.
Connecting all this information will help services work better together so people can get safer, higher-quality care more easily.
Who we work with
The key national and regional organisations who support governments to deliver the NHRA include:
- Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing
- National Health Funding Body
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
- Primary Health Networks
- Local Hospital Networks
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
More information
- National Health Reform Agreement Addendum 2026–2031
- NHRA Mid Term Review Final Report
- Prime Minister Press Conference – Friday 30 January 2026.
